Do not, under any circumstances, order a large latte in Wellington. The city takes its coffee very seriously and ordering the weak milky stuff won’t win you any credibility. Trust me. I ordered the said beverage within about 10 minutes of landing in Wellington and both my guide and the barista looked like they wanted to put me straight back on the plane.

Coffee in Wellington comes in a double shot, and if you can take your caffeine pure and without milk so much the better.

I committed my faux pas at the Maranui Surf Life Saving Club’s charming cafe (maranui.co.nz/ cafe), where you almost feel the ocean without leaving your table.

Consistently good, strong, locally roasted coffee is just one of many things Wellington has become famous for. In fact, New Zealand’s capital has had much positive press in the past couple of years. Lonely Planet named it the “coolest little capital in the world", which gave it a huge boost.

It doesn’t take long to fall in love with Wellington. The city is compact, and that’s a big advantage rather than a handicap. Within minutes of each other you’ll find hidden beaches, hilly forests, a busy harbour, world-class film studios, arts hubs and great shopping precincts. The wealth of cafes, bars, eating nooks and wafting smells of local organic produce being cooked in wonderful ways is just staggering.

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Wellingtonians are proud to tell you that “apparently" their city has more bars, restaurants and cafes per capita than New York.

The city has a population of about 180,000 and sits at the southern tip of the North Island. Sir Peter Jackson’s Miramar studios ensure the city’s artistic folk are employed, while the harbourside Te Papa museum attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.

Wellington feels like a hub of energy and creativity. Young entrepreneurs have opened trendy cocktail bars, such as the Cuckoo Cocktail Emporium on Queens Wharf (where even the furniture is for sale), transformed old heritage buildings into upmarket nightspots (try the recently reopened Roxy Cinema in Miramar) and created their own coffee, fashion and tourism empires.

Visit the Mojo Coffee HQ and Roastery on the waterfront in Historic Shed 13 to see what vision, enthusiasm and hard work will achieve.

A pair of good walking shoes will get you to most places. A tour of Zealandia, the latest large-scale attraction, is certainly worthwhile. You can see New Zealand’s native species up close in this bush reserve and learn about the ones that didn’t survive, minutes from the CBD. Leave a good couple of hours for the walk-through or try the Kiwi Night Guided Tour (visitzealandia.com).